Honorees

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Distinguished Finalist

Olivia Battles

Olivia Battles, 18, of Ozark, Ark., a senior at Alma High School, started a food pantry for her fellow students called “Food for Friends,” working with friends, teachers and the community to raise $2,000 in food donations in the organization’s first year. Sensitive to the importance of self-esteem in fellow biracial teenagers, she also started “Be-Utiful,” which provides ethnic hair-care products and beauty advice for transracial foster families; she worked two jobs over the summer to purchase products for donation.